One Of The Guys! Or Is She?
by mg04morrc
Summary: Alanna, Jon and the gang in the modern world. This is my first fanfic so please r&r. I'm not too sure about it so tell me what you think and let me know if you have any advice.
1. New School

This fanfic is about our favourite heroes in a modern day world. Alanna starts at a new school and befriends the most popular guy in school and his friends. Of course these are Jon, Gary and Raoul. She ends up with a crush on one of them but finds out that she might have some competition and does he feel the same way or does he see her as one of the guys. This is my first fanfic so please read and review.

Chapter 1

Alanna Trebond stood in front of her mirror looking at her reflection. Her long, red hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she had her black New York base ball hat on. She was wearing her favourite red t-shirt and loose fitting jeans with a pair of trainers. She also had on a black fleece and the sunglasses that she always wore to hide her unusual purple eyes.

She and her twin brother Thom were starting at their latest school. In the 15 years of their life they had been to 26 schools all over the world. Their father was a world renowned Professor and as such, his research took him travelling the globe. Which meant that the twins were always changing schools. By the time they were only 8 years old they were used to the disappointment and had stopped trying to make new friends because to make friends meant leaving. They had each other. That was all they needed. They also had Coram. Their father was always busy with his work so he never really had any time for his kids. So Coram had been brought in to help Thom and Alanna▓s mum raise the kids. Their mother had been the most caring, kind, thoughtful, considerate person with the biggest heart in the world. But when Alanna was 12, her mother was driving her to a friend▓s house when a drunk driver ran a red light and hit the car on Alanna▓s mum▓s side. Alanna had woken up 2 weeks later to the news that her mother was dead.

After the accident, her father became even more distant towards her and Thom so Coram became the primary care giver. Alanna didn▓t mind. She had never gotten on well with her father and Coram was more like an uncle rather than someone paid bye her father to look after her and Thom.

⌠Alanna, come on. Hurry up, the drivers waiting.■ Thom▓s voice broke through Alanna▓s thoughts and she was brought back to the present day.  
⌠I▓m coming, I▓ll be down in a minute.■ She started walking towards the door and was nearly there when she remembered her wrist band. She had a long scar that reached nearly the whole way around her wrist. It was the only mark she had left from the accident and if you didn▓t see the scar you would never know that she had ever been in an accident. She had always wore the wrist band to hide it because she hated talking about the accident and she hated being pitted. Wearing the wrist band was an easy solution.

After making sure the wrist band was in the right place, she picked up her school bag and stepped out into the hall. She closed her bedroom door then went down the stairs. Thom and Coram were waiting by the door with the newest driver. Being the kids of a famous professor meant that Thom and Alanna▓s lives were very different to that of other kids. They had never ridden on a school bus before because they had always had a driver that drove them pretty much wherever and whenever they wanted to go. They had never really understood the need for this but they had learned not to go against their father. His word was law.

Thom and Alanna said goodbye to Coram and then made their way outside, with the driver following closely behind them. They got in the car and drove of towards the school. 15 minutes later they pulled up in front of a big white building. When Alanna first got out the car she thought that the place looked more like a prison than a school, but she wasn▓t surprised. 


	2. Mystery Girl

Thanks for the advice so far. I▓ll try and improve the next few chapters. And as for the things in place for apostrophes I don▓t know what happened. I▓ll see if I can figure out what happened. In this chapter, Jon, Gary and Raoul meet Alanna for the first time and they think that she should just shop and be like the other girls they know but Alanna soon shows them that girls can do anything boys can do.

Chapter 2

⌠Hey Jon, did you do that Algebra homework?■ asked Raoul as he, Jon and Gary got off the bus. ⌠Don▓t tell me you didn▓t do the homework again. Man, if I was to die tomorrow where would you be.■ said Jon with a smirk on his face. Jonathan Conte, known as Jon to most people, was the most popular guy at school. But it wasn▓t the fact that he was the captain of the football, hockey and basketball teams that made him popular. Or the fact that he was so hot he made hell look like The Arctic. He was the most popular guy in school because although he was a gifted athlete and was nice to look at, he had a big heart. He thought about everyone else before he thought about himself. He knew everyone▓s name, including the geeks and the unpopulars. And if he ever found out that someone was being bullied, he would make sure that it stopped. It was for these reasons, plus many more, that he was elected Student Body President.

⌠Hey come on Jon, go easy on him. You know that when it comes to maths Raoul is completely helpless.■ said Gary failing miserably to hold in his laughter. He and Jon, who were cousins but more like brothers, started laughing and then even harder when they saw Raoul▓s faked hurt expression. Raoul▓s lack of ability for maths was legendary amongst not only the other students but also the teachers. They all found it quite amusing. However with a little help from his friends he was always able to pull of a decent grade when it mattered the most. Gary and Jon were laughing so hard they didn▓t even realise Raoul had stopped walking until they walked into him. ⌠Why did you stop Raoul?■ Jon asked. Raoul, who seemed to be in a trance, merely pointed at a person, who turned out to be a girl, stepping out of a black, shiny, obviously expensive BMW. On the other side of the car, a guy who looked a lot like the girl, also stepped out off the car and came around to stand beside her. There was another man who looked a lot older and was dressed in a suit that looked like some sort of uniform. After talking to the boy and the girl for a few minutes he then got back in the car and drove off. The pair said something to each other before making their way towards the entrance.

⌠Who were they?■ asked Raoul snapping out of his trance. He had been watching the pair right up until they walked through the door. He was now turned round and facing Jon and Gary and all three had a confused look on their face.  
⌠Know idea,■ said Jon trying to think if he knew them or not. ⌠I▓ve never seem them before and I know everyone.■ ⌠They must be knew.■ said Gary. He, Jon and Raoul all stood there completely silent until suddenly the bell warning students that first class was in five minutes rang. At this, Gary forgot all about the strange new kids. They would find out who they were soon enough. ⌠ Come on. We better get to class.■

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And sure enough, ten minutes into the second class of the day, which happened to be athletics, the Principal, Mr. Sanders, came in and introduced a new girl to the class. Jon, Gary and Raoul recognised her immediately as the girl they had saw earlier that morning. She now had her hat and sunglasses off so they could see that she had long, red hair and shocking purple eyes. She was wearing shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt which allowed the three of them as well as the rest of the class, which happened to be an all boy class, to see the muscles that she had. The Principal introduced her as Alanna Trebond and Gary, Raoul and Jon each made a mental note of her name to look for her at lunch. There was something different about this girl. Something that bothered them. For one thing, the class that they were currently in had always been all boys. The class focussed on advanced athletics and if you wanted to be in it, you had to convince the coach that you were fit enough and able to keep up with the vigorous training scheme. As such no girls had ever been permitted to join the class, even if they wanted to and very few ever did. Not many boys were in it either. It was mostly the best members of the sports teams that ended up taking the class. But this mysterious Alanna had not only convinced the coach to let her join the class, which was a hard feat in itself due to the fact that the coach was a little sexist when it came to which was the stronger sex, but she also seemed to have done some sort of athletics in the past. She was very different to most of the girls that Jon, Gary and Raoul knew. And yet it was that that made her seem even more mysterious and intriguing. 

⌠Alanna here is going to be in our class from now on.■ The coach began. Some of the boys in the class, including Jon, Gary and Raoul, looked at each other in disbelief. It didn▓t matter how many muscles she had, this had always been a boys only class. ⌠If I am not mistaken Alanna here is the first girl to be in this class in thirteen years. Is that correct Principal?■ ⌠Yes I believe it is and from what I▓ve seen of her abilities I▓m pretty sure she▓ll be giving some you lads a run for your money. Well I▓ll leave you to it. If you need anything Alanna just come and find me.■ At her nod he left the room and it was silent once again. The coach, obviously feeling a little awkward, was looking between his class and this mysterious new girl, Alanna. After a few minutes of silence, he finally found his voice.  
⌠Ok well everyone, go and get changed. We▓ll be playing hockey today as a treat to welcome Alanna but don▓t get used to this. Next lesson we▓ll be back to athletics.■ 


	3. Author's Note

Author's note

Sorry I haven't updated in like forever but I have just been so busy with school and exams and stuff the past few months that I have barely had enough time to catch my breath let alone do anything else. I'm still pretty busy but hopefully I will be able to update soon. And just to let you all know, I have managed to fix the stories so the things in place for the apostrophes will no longer be there.

Thanks for sticking with it.


	4. Hockey Games and Lunch Time Shocks

Sorry for the long wait but finally here is the next chapter. Tell me what you think.

Chapter 3

Alanna's team, which included Jon, Gary and Raoul, won the hockey game. Alanna scored 7 out of the 9 goals with Jon and Raoul scoring the remaining 2. The guys on the opposing team were normally gracious losers, but today they were rather annoyed. Being thrashed by a girl was humiliating, not to mention unheard of. But despite getting beaten, the guys on both teams were oddly intrigued by this new girl. She hadn't spoken a word to anyone but she still seemed to be two steps ahead of everybody else. Even the coach seemed to be highly impressed by Alanna and he wasn't shy about complementing her on her skills when she scored a goal.

At the end of the game, while all the guys hung around talking with one another, Alanna headed off to the changing rooms. By the time they were all changed, she was long gone and well on her way to her next class. Jon was a little disappointed that he had missed her but he resigned to finding her at lunch.

The morning flew by in a blur for Alanna. Her brother was taking all advanced classes so he wasn't in any of Alanna's. For twins, the two couldn't be more different. They met up at the beginning of lunch and then made their way towards the cafeteria.

"So how has your day been so far?" asked Thom.

"Oh you know, the usual boring stuff. I did win in hockey though. Well my team won. I think it came as quite a surprise to some of those hot shot jocks." Answered Alanna smiling a little. Thom laughed at that. He knew his sister better than she even knew herself and he knew of her distaste of jocks. In all of the previous schools they had been to, the sports teams consisted of only guys. At first they would refuse to allow Alanna to join their teams, but she soon surprised them and showed them that she was just as good, if not even better, than them.

"How about your day?" asked Alanna. She pretty much knew the answer already but she thought she would ask just to be polite.

"To quote you, the usual boring stuff. I don't know why father insisted on sending the both of us here. Public schools never challenge you. They just teach you the basics and send you out the door." As expected, Thom went on and on about how he needed to actually be challenged. With a father who was a world renowned professor, it was to be anticipated that the twins would be continuously lectured on the various subjects that you would be taught in school. Alanna never had any real interest in school, except when it came to history, but Thom loved reading books and had a thirst for knowledge that never seemed to remain satisfied for long. As such, Thom never really learnt anything knew and often enough he would correct whatever teacher he had. "This place is perfect for you with all the sports stuff but it's pointless me being here." Thom finished his tirade with a heavy sigh and pouted. Alanna laughed at the sight.

"Hey, come on now. It's not pointless that you are here. You know that I'd go crazy in a place like this if I was on my own. And besides, if you weren't here, who would be around to stop me from killing the jocks." Thom smiled and for the remainder of the walk to the cafeteria they talked about what they had after lunch and betting each other on how long they think they would be there. This had become a ritual of sorts and they always did it on the first day of every new school.

As they walked through the doors to the cafeteria, the noise level dropped considerably as all eyes turned towards the new kids. Thom diverted his eyes to the ground but Alanna kept her head up and proudly walked over to an empty table with Thom following behind her. They sat down and began to eat their lunch ignoring the stares and whispers. After 10 minutes of the strained silence, things started to return to normal. Jon decided that now was the right time to introduce himself to this Alanna and maybe get to know her a little better. He didn't know why but for some reason he felt drawn to her. Like he knew her from before. But he knew that that was not possible. He had never heard of the name Alanna Trebond before now. He stood up and at Gary and Raoul's curious glances he simply nodded his head in the direction of Alanna and Thom. They started to get up but Jon shook his head and then made his way over to the pair. Alanna's back was to him so she didn't see him approach but she had a sixth sense when it came to knowing when a person was behind her and just as Jon was about to say hi, Alanna turned around stopping him in his tracks.

"You'll want to stop right there jock and turn back around." Said Alanna with a glint in her eyes that Thom knew well to be hate. Jon was taken aback by the attitude of this girl but decided to go ahead with his original plan.

"Eh…hi. My name is Jon, not jock. As student body present I just wanted to welcome you and your brother to our great school and I hope you enjoy you time hear."

"Yeah, I doubt that. You see me and my brother here, we won't be staying long. I'd give it two months tops. So you may as well just turn around and head back to your friends." With that, Alanna got up and turned to her brother. After telling him she'd meet him out front at the end of the day, she started to walk away. As she brushed past Jon, she turned towards him and looked him directly in the eye, which wasn't an easy feat considering he was at least a foot taller.

"Oh and do me a favour. Don't talk to me ever again. Are we clear? Good. I'm glad we understand each other." And with that Alanna strode off, leaving a very confused Jon standing there. Thom saw the look on his face and took pity on him as he was one of the very few people who had gone up against his sister, or as he liked to call her the lioness, and come away unharmed.

"I'm sorry about my sister. Don't take it personally, she's like that with everyone. She's not exactly one of the most social people in the world." Said Thom.

"You got that right." Replied a still confused Jon. He took in the boy who was standing in front of him and noticed that although he was tall, he wasn't the muscular type. He seemed completely different to his sister.

"Yeah well, if I was you I'd leave her be. She's not the kind of girl who will fall all over you because you play sports. If anything it will make her hate you more. She's a complicated person and if you don't want to get beaten by a girl, you'd leave her alone. But then again, you might like to take a risk every now and again. Whatever, it's your choice." Thom smiled slightly at Jon before getting up and following his sister out of the cafeteria. Jon returned to his seat beside Gary and Raoul. He ignored their questioning glances and spent the rest of lunch considering Alanna and what he had experienced of her so far. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the bell ring. Gary had to nudge him to get him out of his trance. Jon, being the stubborn person that he was, wasn't going to let this go. He resigned to finding out more about her when he got home. He doubted what Thom said about getting beaten by Alanna and he wasn't afraid of her in anyway and he was determined to find out what was up with her.

Thanks for the reviews. Please stay with me on this one. Hope you like this chapter.


	5. Realisations

Thanks again for all your reviews. They are all greatly appreciated. 

**Realisations**

By the time Jon got home that day after school, he only had one thing on his mind; Alanna. All through dinner he didn't say a single word and his parents had to shake him to get his attention. 

"What's on your mind son? You've been distracted all night." Asked Jon's father. He knew his son inside and out but he had never seen him act like this. 

"Oh nothing, it's just that there are these two kids at school. Alanna and Thom Trebond. Twins, but they are totally different. Alanna actually convinced the coach to let her into our athletics class." 

"Really! She must be in very good shape. But I'm still not quite clear as to why it has you so shaken up." Roald replied with a smile on his face as if suggesting that his son had got a crush.

"It's just that when I introduced myself to her and her brother at lunch, she called me jock and she talked as if she despised me but she doesn't even know me. Her brother said that it wasn't anything personal and that she just has a thing about jocks but it seemed much more than that. She also mentioned that she wouldn't be at the school for very long. Two months at most." Jon sighed heavily while his parents had just been staring at him while he talked about this mysterious girl. Silence reined until Jon let a small laugh escape his lips, shaking his head at his rambling. "Listen to me going on and on about some girl I've only known for a few hours. Forget about it." He returned to staring at his food, so he didn't see the look that passed between his parents. Nor did he see the knowing smile that graced his mother's lips. He asked to be excused from the dinner table saying that he still had homework to do but he had no intention of doing anything other than looking up the name Trebond on his laptop. 

As he typed in the name Trebond, he kept picturing Alanna's face in his head. Her long red hair that had a slight curl to it; her magnificent yet haunting eyes that seemed to contain so much pain and loss as well as a fire and hunger that he could only guess was where her attitude came from; her short but muscular frame; all the things that made Alanna who she was. He hit the search button and within seconds the results came up. He clicked on the first link that came up but came back out of it when he saw it was a website for some kind of estate. The second link he clicked on however was more successful. It was information on the world renowned professor Alan Trebond. He quickly scanned the information but slowed when he reached the part about his family. This was what he had been looking for. It said that the professor had two kids, twins, named Thom and Alanna. As the kids of a professor they were no doubt constantly moving. Perhaps that was what Alanna was referring to when she said they wouldn't be at the school long. He continued reading and saw that Alanna's mother had recently died in a car accident. He felt a pang of sadness and guilt as his heart went out to Alanna and her entire family. The first thought that went through his head at their earlier confrontation was that she was just a snob, but now he understood now why she was so angry. It explained why her eyes contained so much pain and loss. 

He printed off the pages of information and then placed them in his book bag. He decided that he was going to ask his history teacher Mr Olau, or as he preferred to be called; Myles. Myles knew everything about everything and he understood why people did the things they did. If anyone was going to be able to help him understand this mysterious Alanna, it was Myles. 

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short. I am really busy with school and everything so for a while any updates will probably be in small sections. Nether the less hope you enjoy. Keep the reviews coming. 


	6. Talks With Myles

Sorry I haven't updated in so long but my life has just been so crazy the last few months that I've barely had a moment to myself

Sorry I haven't updated in so long but my life has just been so crazy the last few months that I've barely had a moment to myself. The good news is that it should quieten down over the next few weeks. Thanks for all your reviews and support, it means a lot.

**Talks with Myles**

Jon met with Raoul and Gary the next again day and as soon as they saw him the first thing that came out of their mouths was what had he found out about Alanna.

"Well their father is Professor Alan Trebond. He travels around the world, never staying in one place for more than 6 months. It explains why she said that they wouldn't be here for very long. The website I found also said that Alanna's mother died in a car accident." Jon looked across at the other two to gauge their reactions. Not surprisingly he found two faces with the same expressions of pity on them and he knew them well enough to know that they were thinking the same thing. The three felt sorry for the feisty girl and their brother but they knew something else was up with her. And Gary had no trouble saying aloud what they were all thinking.

"Ok so her mum died and her and her brother move around a lot. It still doesn't explain why she was such a b to you. I mean she has only been here one day. It doesn't give her the right to treat people the way she treated you yesterday."

"I am going to go ask Myles what he thinks before class. He knows a lot about this kind of stuff. He may be able to help." The three boys halted their conversation when they heard the bell ring. "C'mon let's go." With that, they made their way inside shouting a quick goodbye to one another as they went their separate ways.

"Excuse me Myles, but are you busy?" asked Jon as he hesitantly knocked on the door of Myles's classroom.

"It's nothing that can't be dealt with later. What can I do for you today Jon? Class isn't until this afternoon." Replied Myles with a welcoming smile that relaxed Jon's nerves a bit. For as much as he wanted to know more about Alanna, he couldn't help shake the feeling that he was looking into this too much. He had only known the girl for a day; what right did he have to go behind her back and research her and her family. Deep down he knew he should mind his own business but curiosity overwhelmed the urge to turn and walk away.

"I was just wondering what you knew of the name Trebond." Jon's eyes were glued to a spot on the floor so he missed the strange look that Myles was currently giving him.

"Trebond? Does this have anything to do with the Trebond twins who just arrived here?" Jon continued to look at the floor but he nodded in answer to Myles question.

"Well, let me think. Thom and Alanna Trebond. Children of Professor Alan and Hannah Trebond. Their estates are up near the Northern border of Tortall. The Professor has written multiple books on his research. His research took the family all over the world. He was known for always having his nose in his books. The poor man was devastated when his wife died." Myles let out a low sigh as he shook his head.

"You know about that." Said Jon now looking at Myles.

"Of course I do, the crash was all over the news. God only knows what it must have been like for that girl."

"Who?"

"Alanna. She was in the crash as well. Obviously your research never told you that part." Myles nodded his head in the direction to the paper in Jon's hands. Jon noticed that in that one moment, Myles looked older than he ever had before. "If my memory serves me right, she was unconscious for 2 weeks and it was a further 2 weeks before the doctors said she could go home. And if that wasn't enough, a reporter looking for a follow up story on the 'grieving' family said that he witnessed an argument where the professor blamed Alanna for the death of her mother." He looked back at Jon. To say that shock was shown on his face would be an understatement. "I'm sorry Jon but do you mind me asking what this is all about?"

"Oh it's just, yesterday at lunch. I went up to Alanna and her brother to introduce myself and welcome them to the school but she didn't even let me get a word in. The things she said and the way she spoke, it was as if she was waiting to go to battle or something. She talked as if she hated me but she doesn't even know me. I guess I was just trying to find out why." Jon noticed that the corners of Myles's mouth twitched as if holding in a smile.

"Alanna is in your athletics class isn't she?"

"Yeah." Jon nodded not sure where the conversation was headed.

"The first girl in 13 years?" again Jon nodded. "And I imagine that some of the guys aren't too happy about it."

"Most of them are really just as curious as me to be honest. They don't care that's she's a girl. She is an amazing athlete. But there are some. Mainly Ralon Malven and his cronies. They think she should just go back to shopping and being a proper girl."

"Well did it ever occur to you that this is what she has to face every time she goes to a new school. Guys like Ralon calling her useless and pathetic and having to prove herself over and over again and then to finally have them accept that she is a great athlete only to move and have to go through it all again. Having moved so many times, having to say goodbye to friends 26 times, not to mention losing her mother in an accident that her own father blames her for, my guess is that she has simply closed of her heart so that it isn't hurt again. She acts like she hates you because it's easier than showing her feelings. To her you are a jock. One of many who see her as nothing but a helpless, harmless girl." Myles let Jon mull over what he had said while he occupied himself with stacking papers on his desk.

The silence that had fallen after Myles speech was broken by a knock on the door. Both teacher and pupil turned to find Alanna standing at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," Alanna started, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two people in front of her. Her gaze finally settled on Myles. "I actually had a question about the homework but I can come back if you are busy." She turned to leave but Jon's voice stopped her.

"No. It's okay; I think we're done here." He looked to Myles who nodded his head in confirmation and then turned back to the petite girl in front of him. "You can stay and ask your question. I'll see you later Myles. Thanks for the help."

"Don't mention it." He said to Jon's back. "Now," he said turning to face Alanna. "You had a question for me?"


	7. Ralon Malven

Once again, thanks for your reviews. Hope you like this chapter.

Note: The fights in this chapter come from the books and are nothing of my creation.

Ralon Malven

The two weeks following Jon's interesting conversation with Myles were uneventful. But nothing changed. Alanna remained fierce and didn't utter a word to anyone but her brother and the teachers when asked a question. Jon was still curious about the new girl who had so suddenly entered his life but had enough sense to keep a safe distance from the Lioness. And Ralon, he continued to be a sexist ass. However, in those quiet two weeks, Ralon had been stirring up trouble. At first, he thought that it would be good entertainment, watching as she attempted to keep up with the class. After all, she was only a girl. And girls couldn't do athletics. But then she beat him once, twice, three times in a row. His patience was waring thin. There was only so much he could take.

They were doing fencing and surprise, surprise he was beaten again. He was able to hold his tongue however when he saw who her next opponent was: Dain Melor. Dain was one of Ralon's cronies and the two had been friends since they were kids. Said to be one of the best fencers in school, Dain was a foot taller than Alanna and all muscle. No way would she be able to beat him, Ralon thought smugly. Little did he know, that smug smile was about to be wiped of his face.

Alanna and Dain stepped into the centre of the floor while the rest of the class surrounded them, forming a circle. They quickly bowed and saluted each other as was custom and then crossed their swords to begin. As soon as the coach gave the signal, Dain swung his blade around, meeting Alanna's with a clear, ringing sound. He bore down, trying to force her sword to the floor but Alanna, being Alanna, gritted her teeth and held, the muscles in her arms screaming with the effort. Dain's eyes widened; she was much stronger than she looked. He broke away and circled her. He whipped his sword down and in. Alanna struck it away and slid her own blade straight toward Dain's heart, ready to pull back if she had to. Dain stepped back hurriedly, and Alanna lunged back before she went off balance.

"A child's trick!" Dain scoffed. No one needed to point out that that child's trick had almost worked.

Dain was circling and talking, trying to keep Alanna distracted until he spotted her weakness. He lunged in and back with great speed, searching for her one failure to fend her off. Alanna parried his blows and watched for an opening she could use to knock the sword form his hand. Sweat was trickling down her cheeks, making her nervous in case it got in her eyes. It was no comfort that Dain's shirt was soaked through on the chest and back, or that he was breathing in deep, heavy gasps. Alanna grinned inwardly to herself. When Coram had first discovered her talent for fencing many years ago, he had allowed her to practice with an old, broad sword that had been passed down through his family. Had Dain practiced with that old sword, he wouldn't be so tired now.

The only sound in the room was the padding of their feet and Dain's harsh breathing. Alanna spotted a chance and lunged-Dain stumbled back. She tried to wipe away the sweat on her face with her sleeve while he recovered but she wasn't quick enough. With a yell of triumph, Dain darted forward. She stepped back too slowly and the top of Dain's sword sank deep into her right arm, just below the elbow. The swords were only practice swords but extremely blunt and hurt like hell if you were cut by one. Despite the deep wound and the blood pouring out of it, Alanna didn't even blink. Cursing her bad timing, Alanna lowered her blade. As much as she would have liked to continue, she had assumed that the fight was over. Suddenly, he lunged for her chest, his eyes wide and crazy. Dain began circling her again, searching for another opening. Slowly she stepped back and away from Dain, transferring her sword into her left hand. She was careful not to slip in her blood that was dripping on the floor. Alanna lunged forward viciously, her sword met Dain's with a crash. Instantly she pulled away, and then thrust in again. Dain blocked clumsily, falling back as she bore in on him. Her sword never stopped moving; she never stopped looking for an opening. There it was! She brought her sword down, under and up, catching Dain's hilt and yanking the sword from his hand. It went flying. Alanna darted forward to press her sword's point into Dain's throat. He looked up into the coldest eyes he would ever see.

"Stupid," said Alanna loud enough for all the class to hear. "Very, very stupid."

Silence rained throughout the hall. Alanna threw her sword on the ground beside Dain, letting a cruel smile edge its way on to her face when he flinched. Jon noted that the smile, although evil, was the first he had seen grace her features. He would never admit it, especially considering that the Lioness would chop him up into little bits if she ever knew, but she looked quite pretty when she smiled. Of course there where prettier girls in the schools, beautiful even. Girls who would throw themselves at his feet if it meant they could get to go out with him. But there was something about Alanna. Something different, but at the same time alluring. He watched as she turned and walked out the room; her footsteps echoing throughout the room.

Alanna stepped out the changing room, focused on wrapping a bandage around her cut arm to try and stop the bleeding until she could get stitches. She was so focused that she didn't noticed the figure lurking outside the changing room waiting. She felt hands grab her shoulders and push her up against the wall. A kick to the back of her leg found her on her knees on the floor. A low cackle that she was now familiar with was heard behind her and she quickly turned around before he could hit her again. She slapped him and quickly ducked before he swung at her, missing her by a few inches. Alanna came up and under his swing to ram into his chest. He yelped and grabbed her hair. She punched him twice in the stomach, hard. Ralon seized her throat, choking her. She shoved her thumb in his eye while stamping down on his foot at the same time. Ralon screamed in pain and backed away, clutching his eye. Alanna lunged forward, thrusting her hip between Ralon's legs. He stumbled and she helped him fall by throwing him over her hip. Quickly she knelt on his back, twisting his arms behind his back in the process, keeping him pinned down with one hand while using the other to pull his head up by the hair.

"Give up?" she panted. Weakly, Ralon nodded. She stood up and he leaped at her, landing a wild punch on her cheek sending her flying backwards. Before she could react, three sets of hands pulled him back and started punching and kicking Ralon. She recognised the coal black hair of Jon, and the two giants that were Gary and Raoul. When Ralon was in a bloody, heap on the floor they stopped and turned to Alanna to check if she was okay.

"Are you okay? What was that all about?" said Jon. He offered a hand to help her up but she didn't take it.

"I'm fine." She turned to walk away, picking up the bandage that had come off during the fight, but Jon grabbed her arm.

"Look we were only trying to help!"

"I didn't need your help. I can take care of myself. I've been doing it my whole life." She tried to walk away, but once again Jon stopped her.

"Look, despite what you might think about us we don't care that you're a girl. You are a talented athlete. Anyone with half a brain can see that. Ralon and his groupies may think that you're hopeless but the rest of us don't. We saw what you just did in there. We know what you're capable of. We deserve the chance to show you that much." With that he turned and walked away, Raoul and Gary on his heels. Alanna was left standing there, speechless. She knew that she could come off quite cold sometimes. She didn't mean it; it was just the way she was. For years she had had a barrier up to stop herself from having her heart broken again. Only two people in the world were on the inside of that barrier. That's the way it had been for a while, and no one had ever tried to make an effort. Tried to get inside the barrier and get to know who the real Alanna was. She didn't know how to respond to this new person who was willing to face her wrath. It was a whole new experience for her.


	8. Track Thoughts

After the incident with Ralon and Dain, Alanna was sent to the school nurse who in turn called a lift for her to be taken to the hospital. The nurse was able to clean the cut on Alanna's arm but didn't have the equipment to give her stitches. At the hospital, Alanna avoided the questions that the nurses asked and only told a little white lie when it came to the various bruises that covered her face and body. She knew the nurses didn't believe her story of having fallen down the stairs but she wasn't going to admit that Ralon had beaten her up. As much as she hated Ralon, she wasn't a snitch and she wasn't going to rat him out as much as she would have loved to see him squirm.

She arrived home, after a long and silent car ride spent thinking about Jon, to find Thom and Coram sitting in the living room looking worried. Unsurprisingly, her father was no where to be seen.

"Where you been lass? We've been worried sick!" Said Coram as he rose to his feet upon Alanna's entrance. He shot an anxious glance to Alanna's bandaged arm and the bruises he could see clearly on her exposed arms and face that were beginning to show, before meeting her eyes again to hear what her excuse would be this time.

"What happened to you?" said Thom before Alanna could get a word in. " I was waiting for you at the end of the day , when that Jon guy came up and told me that you had had an accident in athletics and were at the hospital."

"I'm fine! I was cut in athletics class today by accident. Nothing a few stitches couldn't fix. I'm fine, honest!" And with that, she headed up the stairs towards her room.

Dumping her bag on to the floor, she turned on the radio full blast and then sat down at her desk to do her homework. Studiously and silently, she completed her relatively easy homework (being the daughter of a professor meant that high school work wasn't all that difficult) and then laid down on her bed to mill over the days events.

Ignoring the slight pain in her arm, she let her mind wonder back to the confrontation she'd had with Jon. She honestly didn't mean to come off as such a bitch, but it was just easier being hated than having your heart broken when she and her family would inevitably move again. She had had enough heart break to last a life time. Heart break that no matter how much time she allowed her self, it would never fully heal. But did Jon have a point? After all, she didn't have to be friends with him- they just had to be civil toward one another. She knew Thom and Coram would be the first ones to tell her that she needed to let more people on the inside, not that she would ever admit to anyone that she was considering doing just that.

She couldn't help but think about what her life would be like if her mother hadn't died in the crash that night. Her father would no doubt still be a book worm, she knew that as a fact, but perhaps he wouldn't be so cold. He would definitely still travel the world, but she and Thom could stay with their mother and Coram at their estates. She might not have been so cold now and, as much as she hated to admit it, so like her father.

Deciding that lying in her bed wasn't going help any, she decided to go for a run to clear her head. No matter what the problem was, running had always given her a solution. Even when she was younger, she loved to run. Her mother had always said that she would be a marathon runner one day and really famous. When she died, Alanna had probably run the equivalent of ten marathons.

The thudding of her feet as they hit the pavement and the beating of her heart quickly drowned out her thoughts as she found her rhythm and soon the world around her disappeared and was replaced by images of her sitting with Jon, Gary and Raoul at lunch and hanging out with them after school. She pictured laughing with Jon just having a good time and not worrying about a thing. Strangely enough, she liked what she saw. She liked the feeling of having fun and the freeness that came with being able to just be herself. She knew what she had to do. Tomorrow she would apologise for her behaviour and ask to sit with him at lunch.

The sound of a second thudding of feet brought her back to her surroundings and she slowed to a halt before turning around to find Jon standing in shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. The t-shirt, heavily soaked in sweat, clung to his body revealing his extremely well muscled arms and abs. He had been listening to music but had taken his earphones out as he approached her.

"Fancy running into you here." He said with a sly grin on his face. "I had no idea that you were a runner. Then again I shouldn't be surprised. If I have learned anything at all about you these past few weeks is that you are one mystery after another."

"Yeah, well there's a lot you don't know about me!" She said it with a serious tone but the small smile that she gave showed that she was joking. Jon felt immensely relieved as he found that he had finally been able to break the ice that had resided between the two since Alanna had arrived. Alanna wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing but if she was truly honest with herself she would discover just how tired she was of acting like a bitch. "Hi, I'm Alanna Trebond. Nice to meet you." And with that said Alanna held out her hand. Jon seeing this as an invitation to start over without all the hostility, smiled a smile that reached his sapphire blue eyes and shook her hand.

"Hi. I'm Jon Conte."

The next day started of the same as every other day except for two things: 1) Thom was ill and 2) Alanna didn't actually mind going to school for once. She would never admit it but after the chat she had had with Jonathon the day before, she was actually looking forward to seeing him again. They weren't friends, they weren't close in any way, and there was still a life time of things that were unknown about the other, but Jon was the closest thing to a friend she had had in a long time. But she had made a promise to herself long ago to never open up her heart to anyone again. No matter what her heart told her was right from beneath its icy prison, she couldn't allow herself to get close to him or anyone else.

With a resigned sigh, Alanna threw off her duvet covers and began to get ready for school. They were doing running in athletics so as well as her school books, she packed a pair of running trousers and a plain white t-shirt. As much as she liked the t-shirt, it was quite tight and would show her…curves quite clearly. She didn't particularly want to wear this t-shirt in an all boys (except her) class with a male coach but unfortunately she didn't have time to look for another due to the fact that most of her belongings were still in boxes and because she had slept in. The drugs given to her the day before by the nurses at the hospital to relieve the pain in her arm had finally kicked in late last night causing her to sleep through her alarm going off. It was only the extremely loud yells from Coram downstairs that had woken her up.

Completing her usual outfit with her base ball hat, she ran down the stairs jumping the last two and grabbed a piece of toast from the kitchen table before making her way out the door where the driver was patiently holding the door open for her. She said a quiet thank you before getting in the car and soon they were approaching the school. Stepping out of the car, she took a deep breath. As much as she adored her brother, it was nice to have some space every now and then. She thanked the driver again and then headed into the school for her first class of the day, which just happened to be athletics.

Making her way out to the running track at the back of the school, she walked over to where the rest of the class was gathering. She could hear sniggers coming from the group as she approached them and instantly knew that they were coming from Ralon and his cronies as they saw her bandaged arm but she grinned inwardly in satisfaction as she noticed that Dain was no where to be seen. Pushing him out of her thoughts, she turned her attention to the coach who was busy explaining what they would be doing.

"All right everybody that's pretty much what we'll be doing today. Now go and get changed and then we'll warm up." As all the guys headed over to the male changing rooms she noticed Jon looking at her. Giving him a small wave before she headed into the female changing rooms she took out her clothes and began to change. Feeling the twinge in her arm coming back form the previous day she took two of the tablets she always carried in her bag. Fishing out her water bottle to help the tablets go down she made her way back out to the track, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open. Seeing that all the guys in the class had their backs turned to her she slowly went up to where Jon, Gary and Raoul were standing.

"Hey guys what you talking about?" Raoul and Gary jumped at her sudden appearance and it took them a minute to get over the fact that she was talking to them before they noticed her all too apparent chest. Jon however noticed immediately and his eyes became the size of saucers as they roamed all over her body, taking in every inch, resting longer than what would be deemed normal for a hormone fuelled teenage boy on her breasts. Alanna ducked her head to hide the blush that crept on to her face, thankful when Gary swallowed the lump in his throat before deciding to break the silence.

"So you really are a girl! I must say I was beginning to have my doubts. You don't exactly act like the other girls around here." The four of them laughed, the three males thinking about just how true that statement was.

"Well, maybe I'm just not one of those OTHER girls you all seem to be always going on about." She said exaggerating the word 'other'.

"To right." said Jon. He was about to say more when the coach interrupted. He set them all of on a slow jog around the track as a warm up before splitting them up into groups of five to carry out races. Jon, Gary and Raoul invited her to join their group but that was only four people and unfortunately for them, the only person left was Ralon.

"Well lookie here. That's a mighty fine cast you've got there. I hope it doesn't hamper your running. Are you feeling okay?" Every word that oozed out of Ralon's mouth was dripping with sarcasm and she could tell that he obviously thought that he was a better runner. "You were okay at the other stuff we did but I own the track so I wouldn't even bother running." He said with a smug smile. She was about to say something back but Gary beat her to it.

"Even if Alanna did suck at running, which I highly doubt," Alanna had to smirk at Gary's statement, "Jon is the king of the track, and you along with everyone else here knows it!"

One by one, the groups of runners were set off around the track, each having to do 10 laps and each group being timed to see who was the fastest. Finally, there was only Alanna's group left to run and the five of them were getting themselves ready at the starting line. As much as she wanted to beat Ralon, he was far from Alanna's mind as she let herself get lost in her running zone-where nothing existed apart from her and the track. When the coach blew the whistle for them to go she started running at a casual speed. While in her zone she was relatively unaware of her surroundings but she was very aware that Ralon was already up front battling it out with Jon. They weren't even half way round the track yet but after having seen Jon run the previous night, Alanna didn't think that 10 laps would bother him too much. Ralon on the other hand, she could tell was already struggling for breath. It was all too obvious to everyone watching that he had started out to fast, trying to show off, and Alanna couldn't help but wonder if he would complete all 10 laps. As the rhythm of her footsteps hitting the concrete below her, her mind couldn't help but wander as she lost herself in running. Running always brought back memories of her mother, but as she moved on to thoughts of the future, she was surprised to find that Jon, as well as Gary and Raoul, seemed to be in that future. Her thoughts of Jon jolted her out of her trance like state and she looked forward to search for the real life man, only to find that she was level with him. A quick look over her shoulder told her that Raoul and Gary were about 200 metres behind herself and Jon, both fairing pretty well and not to out of breath. Behind them, and not looking in as good shape as the rest of them, was Ralon who was sweating profusely and struggling to breathe. She couldn't help but smirk at the sight of him but was able to control herself from laughing out loud and turned back to face front. Looking to her side this time, she took in the state of Jon and while he wasn't sweating that much his breathing was becoming a little heavy. It was only then that Alanna realised that he was attempting to keep up with her, while she was unconsciously increasing her speed. Passing the starting line where the coach was standing, she heard him shouting that they had one more lap to do. Turning to Jon, she gave him a half smile to show that it was nothing personal, before taking off at an incredibly fast pace for someone who had already done 9 laps. Having the wind rush past her, she felt the familiar excitement take over and she yet again pushed herself to go even faster as she came around the final bend. Ignoring the cheers and claps from the coach and fellow students, she continued past the finish line, gradually coming to a stop before turning around to face a scarily grinning coach.

"That was amazing Trebond, your pace, your control; I mean…you're not even out of breath. Not to mention you just knocked almost 2 minutes of Conte's record." Shaking his head, he walked away while writing notes down on his clipboard. She turned her attention to Jon, Gary and Raoul as they came up to having just crossed the line, and took in their sweaty, dishevelled, out of breath forms, before tossing them each a water bottle.

"Hey Jon, no hard feelings about your record?" she asked Jon hoping that he wouldn't be upset.

"Course not, no worries. That record has been around a long time. If it had to be beaten, I'm glad it was by you."

Standing around talking with the three young men, Alanna recalled her earlier thoughts. And as she looked around at her three new…friends, she found herself liking the idea of having a future with them in it.


End file.
